New Milford teen delivers more than 300 pairs of jeans to earthquake victims in South America

News-Times, The (Danbury, CT)

Published 7:00 pm, Saturday, December 22, 2007

The New Milford High School junior saw television reports of devastation in Peru after an August earthquake, with homes and schools destroyed, and was determined to help in some way.

The youngest daughter of residents Veronica and Hector Hernandez, who were born in Colombia, South America, Joanna spoke with a friend of her mother's from Peru and learned the damage was intense, especially in the rural areas.

Deciding teens and children everywhere love blue jeans, Joanna decided to collect jeans for a Colombian town's residents with the help of classmates, friends, family and parishioners at Our Lady of the Lakes Roman Catholic Church.

"I'm so grateful for everything everyone donated," Joanna said, remarking many went out and bought new jeans to give after her appeal.

But it wasn't enough to just box them and mail them off.

"I wanted to make sure they got to the people who needed them most," she said.

Joanna could have used a 16th birthday gift from her older brother to ski in Europe. He was then an airline employee and offered her a flight anywhere in the world.

Instead, she chose to fly round-trip to Peru last month to deliver more than 300 pairs of jeans to the children and parents of Pisco, Peru.

She and her parents left the day before Thanksgiving, flew to Lima, Peru, transferred the jeans from boxes and suitcases into trash bags so they could fit in a small car, and drove four and a half hours to Pisco.

When they arrived they distributed the clothing, and Joanna worked in a game of soccer with the kids. They then returned to Lima for a quick dinner, a short sleep and then a flight back to the U.S. -- a true turnaround trip.

Joanna said not one house was left standing in Pisco after the 8.0 magnitude quake Aug. 15. Most residents were still living in tents three months later, but those with more wealth had erected frame buildings.

While in Colombia, Joanna, who plays soccer at New Milford High School and for the Candlewood United U-18 team in Sherman, even gave the sneakers she was wearing to a local woman.

Amazed that the kids play soccer on cement, fall, and just pick themselves up, she'd like to keep in contact with the school in Pisco and send the children supplies, computers, soccer balls and uniforms.

She said the game she played with the children was "the best game of my life. They play for the love of the sport, for the fun."

In addition to soccer, Joanna's school activities include serving as underclassman editor for the yearbook.

Adult education ESL teacher Sue McWhinnie said she taught Joanna's mother last spring. While Joanna was born in the U.S. and her parents have become citizens, Veronica Hernandez wanted to improve her language skills.

"They really are a generous and loving family," McWhinnie said Tuesday. "I just think (the jeans project) was an amazing thing for a young teenager to do. What the three of them did is so remarkable."

She said Veronica Hernandez told her ESL class about the trip and showed photos. Her fellow students agreed what the Hernandez family did "really made a difference for so many."